Saturday, February 14, 2009

Shiites: Usooli or Akhbari - 3

Amir Moghul

Bewakoof Insaan!! there is only one Shia sect all over the globe ‘Mashallah’, there are no sects within Shia’s as your maligned self try to portray, literal meaning of the word ‘Shia’ is Friend so whoever is the friend of Ahlul-bait-e- Rasul saww, he is a Shia’, [Asef]

aapko is baare me kya kahna hai? "Ayesha's entry onto the battlefield of Jamal was a violation of the Quran Allah (swt) states clearly with regards to the wives of Rasulullah (s):

"And stay quietly in your houses, and make not a dazzling display, like that of the former Times of Ignorance;...." Al-Quran 33:33 Comment Our contention is that Ayesha’s leaving her residence following the demise of the Holy Prophet [s] and accompanying into battle a rebellious male movement that opposed the Khalifa of the time, was an open violation of this verse. [fikarmand Musalman]

Another sect believed that after Hadhrat Hussain the chain of Imamat borke down. There were only three Imams whom they mentioned by their names. They were appointed by the Prophet (peace be upon him) and acted as his executors. They followed him one after the other and their ovedience was binding on every one. But they did not specify any one as their successor. Still another sect believed that after Hadhrat Hassan and Hussain. They shared the Imamat among themselves as it was specified for them only. Any one of them who invites the people to follow him their Imam and it is binding on them to obey him. He acts on behalf of Hadhrat Ali. Therefore it is a divine obligation of the people to acknowledge him as their leader. Any one who opposes him is an infidel. And any one who claims himself to be an Imam and them disappears within the walls of his house is also an infidel, and any one who obeys him and acknowledges his Imamt is an infidel too.

Even More Shia Sects:

There are number of other Shia sects. Some of them are of the opinion that the portfolio of Imamt is held by the children of Hadhrat Hassan. Other sects entertain other views. Some of them believe that the chain of prophethood continues after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and they do not hesitate either to ascribe partners to God, as Ibn Hazm has stated in his book "Fasl".

The Shias who believe in the continuation of prophethood after the Prophet (peace be upon him) are further subdivided into many sects. One of these sects is known as Gharabiyyah. It is their conviction that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had the same resemblance with Hadhrat Ali as a crow (gharab) has with another crow. God had actually sent down Bavriel with the revelation to Hadhrat Ali but by mistake he brought it to the Prophet (peace be upon him). One of these groups believes that Hadhrat Ali is a prophet. An other group believes that Hadhrat Ali, Hassan, Hussain, Ali bin Hussain, Muhammad bin Ali, Jafar bin Munammad, Musa bin Jafar, Ail bin Musa, Muhammad bin Ali, Hassan bin Muhammad and Imam Muntazir bin Hassan were all prophets.

Qaramatah:

One of the Shia sects is convinced only of the prophethood of Muhammad bin Ismail bin Jafar: it is called Qaramtah. Another sect believes in the prophethood of Hadhrat Ali and his three sons Hassan, Hussain and Muhammad bin Hanfiyyah. This sect is an off-shoot of Kaisaniyyah. Mukhtar was also on the verge of staking out his claim to prophethood. He decked out his kiosk with many inconceivable wares and scared the people to their roots by palming off bogus revelations. Quite a few of the damned Shia groups, who believed in the Imamat of Muhammad bin Hanfiyyah, were his ardent followers.

One of the sects expressed its belief in the prophethood of Mughirah bin Said. Another sect believe in the prophethood of Mansur Ajli and they often repeated the Quranic verse:

(If they see a piece falling from the sky). It was also known as ‘Kasf’.

There are other Shia sects who believe that divinity is a limited company or a corporate organization with many partners of equal status. On the top of the list are the followers of Abdullah bin Saba Humairi (may God curse him) who had the audacity and the impudence to express in front of Hadhrat Ali: "you are Him". He asked: Who? The rogues replied: We mean to say that you are Allah. He was terribly indignant when he heard their outrageous words and he hurled them alive into the raging fire. When they were being thrown into the fire, thy were saying: we are convinced now that you are Allah because it is only Allah Who punishes by fire. Hadhrat Ali recited a verse bearing on the episode:

(When I realized that it was an absolutely wicked thing, I had the fire lighted and called for Qanbar. Qambar was the name of his slave. He gripped them one by one and dumped them into the fire. Hadhrat Ali’s companions behaved towards him in the same way as the companions of Jesus had behaved towards him. This sect had a wide circulation. A large number of Shias are attached to it, and it has survived down to the present days of sophisticated technology and intellectual enlightenment, and it openly flaunts its beliefs. Ishaq bin Muhammad Nakhfi Ahmar Kufi belonged to this sect. He was one of its prominent members. He has also written a book called "Al-Sirat" on the beliefs of the sect. Bhinki and Fiyyaz have refuted his claims in their books. These rascals used to say that Hadhrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the messenger of Hadhrat Ali. One of the Shia sects is called Muhammdiyyah who believe that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is Allah. an other sect believes that Hadhrat Adam was God, and all the prophets down to Hadhrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), who followed him, were all Gods. Similarity Hadhrat Ali was also a God. Hadhrat Hassan, Hadhrat Hussain, Muhammad bin Ali, Jafar bin Muhammad were Gods too. Then they kept off these blasphemies and apostasies for a while but the Shia sect Khtabiyyah, during the period of Isa bin Musa bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Abbas believed that Jafar is God. Thus numerous parties of these Shias came out of their houses in the early part of the day, wearing Ihram and gathered in Azrawaridiyyah and proclaimed in loud accents

(welcome Jafar! Welcome Jafar).

Ibn Ayyash etc say that they were watching the spectacle when Isa bin Musa went up to him and picked up a fight with him. He also retaliated violently and made a massive massacre of them. Then another sect declared that Muhammad bin Ismail bin Jafar bin Muhammad was God. Qaramtah held on to this belief. Some of the adherents of this views also believed in the divinity of Abu Said Hassan bin Behram Jabai and after him in the divinity of his sons. Some of them believed that Abul Qasim Najar was God. He was popularly known as Mansur and he resided in Yemen and Balad Hamadan. A number of other people ascribed divinity to the highest executive ofice of the State. On eof the sects professed the divinity of Abu Khatab Muhammad bin abi Zainab Maual bani Asad. This group had a numerical edge over many other sects and its adherents ran into thousands. They believed in his divinity as well as the divinity of Jafar bin Muhammad but the former was superior God. They also claimed that all the sons of Hadhrat Hassan are the sons and darlings of God and are still alive in the skies. Another sect transformed Momar, the wheat-seller into a God-head. Momar was one of the companions of Abul Khatab.

One of the sects believed in the divinity of Hassan bin Mansur Hallaj, the cotton-ginner. He was hanged during the period of Muqtadir through the efforts of Wazir bin Hamid bin Abbas. Another sect attributes divine essence to Muhammad bin Ali bin Shalmaghani Katib. He was murdered in Baghdad during the tenure of Razi. They believed in women-swapping. Another sect conferred divinity on Shabash who was buried alive in Basrah. Still another sect vests Abu Muslim Siraj with divine attributes. A third sect attributes divine qualities to squint-eyed, short-statured Miqna. He tried to avenge the murder of Abu Muslim. His name was Hashim and he was executed during the tenure of Mansur. A public proclamation was made about his murder and Mansur himself murdered himand his companions.

The Ranudiyyah sect affirmed the divinity of Abu Jafa Mansur. An other sect worshipped Abdullah bin Kharb Kundi Kufi as God. The followers of this sect believed in the transmigration of souls. Nineteen prayers were obligatory for them. Each prayer was divided into fifteen units (Rakat). When one of the ‘Sifriyyah Mutakalimin’ held a discussion with him and explained to him the fundamentals of Islamic faith, he re-embraced Islam and bade farewell to his former beliefs and convictions. He conveyed the fact of his conversion to is companions as well and expressed his unqualified penitence in their presence. All of his companions turned against him. They not only dissociated themselves from him but also launched a vicious campaign against him. Then they elected Abdullah bin Mu’awiyyah bin Abdullah bin Jafar bin abi Talib as their Imam. Abdullah bin Kharb remained a loyal adherent to Islam and to the Safri faith as long as he lived. His party has survived the vagaries of change and is known by the label of Hizbiyyah. Nasriyyah is one of the Sabai sects which believes in the divinity of Hadhrat Ali. The adherents of this sect are sttled in Syria and Jordan and are especially concentrated in the city of Tabriyyah. They believe that people who curse and malign Fatima, daughter of the Messenger of Allah and Hassan and Hussain are devils in human guise. They believe that Abdu Rahman bin Maljim Kuradi, the murderer of Hadhrat Ali—though Hadhrat Ali himslef had cursed him—will be the most superior person in the next world because he had severed the divine soul from the constricting blutches of the flesh. This belief is sheer lunacy and unpardonable perversity. All people who try to flout divine injuctions and indulge in such irrational frenzies should fear the wrath of God because the punishment he inflicts on disobedient and arrogant humans can neither be contained not cured even by their most ingenious remedies. Even the cleverest man is helpless against a divine calamity.

All of these sects which specialize in holding and relishing anti-Islamic beliefs and convictions which it categorically denies and negates. As a matter of fact, their beliefs are a set of negations. They are framed in express violation of the positive injunctions of Islam. Some of the Sufis hold the beliefs that the injunctions of Sharia no longer apply to a person who develops an intimate association with God. Others add that he is coupled with God and is inalienably linked with him. I have heard that there is a person in Naishapur known by the patronym of Au Said and Abul Khair. Some-time he wears woollen clothes and sometimes he dresses himself in silk togs which men are forbidden to wear. Sometimes he offers one thousand rakat in one day and sometimes he even refuses to offer the obligatory prayer. His conduct is a clear—cut violation of Islamic prescriptions and regulations. Islam is not a capricious religion nor does it permit any whimsical indulgence. None of its adherents can play a blind man’s buff with its fundamentals and interpret its basic principles to suit the fluctuations of his erratic temper. A true Muslim does not play ducks and drakes with his faith. He is simply over-awed by its splendour and sublimity and he can not even imagine trivializing it or interpreting it in the hazy glow of his swinging moods. For him it is a source of immediate consolation as well as eventual salvation. Therefore anyone who values his moods more than the rules of the faith is not its true adherent. As a matter of fact, by catering to his misguided moods, he works against its essential spirit which calls for unquallfied obedience and unmodified loyalty.

Ashari, Baghdadi, Malti, and Asfraini etc have also mentioned a number of Shia sects in their books. Most of these sects germinated during the period of Hadhrat Ali bin Hussain who is generally known by the name of Zain-ul-Abidin.

Shias after Ali bin Hussain [May Allah have mercy on his soul]:

Ali bin Hussain remained loyal to Banu Ummayyah rulers and lost the sympathies of all those in Makka and Madinah who had any plans to oppose these rulers.

Zaidiyyah:

Hadhrat Ali bin Hussain left a large progeny behind him. One of them was Muhammad known by the patronym of Abu Jafar Baqir. One of his sons was called Zaid and another carried the name Umar. There was a difference of opinion among the Shias about Muhammad bin Ali and Zaid bin Ali. Some of them expressed allegiance to Muhammad while others declared adherence to Zaid. One of the Shia historians observes: Zaidiyyah believe in the Imamat of Hadhrat Ali, his son Hassan and his brother Hussain. After him they believe in the Imamat of his son, Zain-ul-Abidin and his son Zaid bin Ali and their sect is known by his name. He invited the people in Kufah to express allegiance to him as their Imam. He was murdered and guillotined to Kinasah. After Zaid’s martyrdom, his followers elected his son Yahya as their Imam who was murdered at Jozfan on his way to Khorasan. He had expressed the desire that after his death Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Hassan bin Hassan Sabt should be appointed their Caliph but he was put to death in Hijaz. He had willed the appointment of his brother Ibrahim as Caliph after him. He declared his Imamat in Basra with the support of Isa bin Zaid but the armed forces of Mansur challenged them and ultimately executed both of them to death. The Zaidiyyah also believed that Yahya’s brother Isa was entitled to Imamat after him and therefore they transferred the Imamat to his children. Some others believed that Idris was entitled to Imamat after the death of his brother Muhammad bin Abdullah. But he escaped towards the west where he eventually died. After him his son Idris took up the gauntlet and laid the foundation of the city of Fas. Some of his sons became the rulers of the west. One of his sons had the distinction of ascending the royal throne of Tabristan as king. His brother Muhammad also shared the regal distinction. Then Nasir Al-Hurush in Dilam succeeded them and a large number of people expressed their allegiance to him. Nau Bakhti writes:

"Zaidiyyah was split into two groups; a strong group and a weak group. The followers of the weak group were known as Ajiliyyah. Those were the companions of Harun Said Ajli. One of these Sects is called Behtriyyah. This sect was headed by Kathir Nava’, Hassan bin Salih bin Hi, Salim bin abi Hifsah, Hukm bin Utaibah, Salmah bin Kusail and Abdul Miqdam Thabit Hadad. They invited the people to acknowledge the over lordship of Hadhrat Ali and then muddled it with that of Abu Bakr and Umar. The people generally considered it superior to all other sects because its adherents believe in the superiority to all other sects because its adherents believe in the superiority of Hadhrat Ali and they also profess the leadership of Hadhrat Abu Bakr. They negate Hadhrat Uthman, Talhe and Zubair. They think that they should support each one of Ali’s children and they regard it as an inalienable part of their conviction. They cling to the belief that Imamt circulates only among the children of Hadhrat Ali even if any one of them surrenders or forgoes his right to rule, it goes not mean the termination of his rule. All children of Ali have equal status in their eyes irrespective of the womb that has engendered them.

The stronger sect of Zaidiyyah is steered by Abul Jarud, Abu Khalid Wasti, Fudhail Rasan and Mansur bin abi Al-Aswad. The Zaidiyyah sent which is known by the designation Hussainiyyah believes that any member of the progeny of Muhammad (peace be upon him) who invites people to obey God, deserves to be obeyed by the people. But Hadhrat Ali was the Imam par excellence. Hadhrat Hussain was the Imam when he defied the powers of oppression and when he had dissociated himself from Muawiyyah till the incidence of his martyrdom. Zaid bin Hassan, who had been murdered in Kufah, was also the Imam. His mother was Um Wald. Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Hassan was also the Imam. His mother was Hind bint abi Ubaidah bin Abdullah bin Zima bin Aswad bin Mutlib bin Asad bin Uzabin Qasi. In fact, any one of the progeny of Muhammad (peace be upon him) who invites people to obey God is an Imam.

Shahrastani has commented on different Shia sects and the difference of opinion and belief that characterize them. He remarks that Zaidiyyah are the followers of Hadhrat Zaid bin Ali bin Hussain bin Ali. These people confine Imamt only to the children of Fatima and do not extend its range to other people. They believe that any Fatimi who is learned, pious, brave and magnanimous and desires Imamat is an Imam and deserves to be obeyed whether he belongs to Hassan's progeny or to Hussain’s. One of its sects believes in the leadership of Imam Muhammad and Imam Ibrahim. Both of the were the sons of Abdullah bin Hassan bin Hussain. They rebelled during the tenure of Mansur but were executed. Any one of them who possessed these attributes could claim. Imamat as his right. Zaid bin Ali availed himself of every opportunity to roll in knowledge to strengthen his claim. He received massive shots of knowledge and scholarship form Wasil bin Ata who was the leader of Motazilah and who held the belief that his grandfather, Hadhrat Ali, was swayed more by sentiment than logic in the battles that were waged between the people of Jamal and those of Syria. One of the groups was obviously in the wrong though the extent of its error can not be determined with unerring accuracy. Thus Zaid also learned Itizal from Wasil and all of his companions turned into Motizills. It was also part of their faith that the Imamat of the less superior was also legally binding on the people inspite of the Imamat of the more superior. Through Hadhrat Ali was themost venerated among the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), he had entrusted the Khilafat to Hadhrat Abu Bakr as a measure of expediency and though his compromise he quashed a budding rebellion and satisfied the growing anxiety of the people. He elected Hadhrat Abu Bakr as the Caliph because the dust of the wars fought during the Prophetic era had not yet settled and the sword of Hadhrat Ali had not yet dried up. It was still coated with the blood of Quraish infidels. The hearts of people, therefore, were ovens of revenge and furnaces of vegeance. Thus, if Hadhrat Ali was elected the Caliph, the people would not have inclined towards him from the depths of their hearts and would not have extended him their unqualified allegiance. It was therefore the dictate of expediency and wisdom that the burden of trust should be handed over to a person who was well known for his clemency, affection, faith and deep association with the Prophet (peace be upon him). Therefore when the Prophet (peace be upon him), during his fatal illness, wanted to entrust the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to the matter to Hadhrat Umar, the people had protested: you are handing the power to rule over us to a person who is notorious for his short temper. It means that the people did not like Hadhrat Umar to become Amir-ul-Momini on account of the violence of his temperament and the severe and unbending treatment of his enemies. But there was a consensus of opinion among them on the choice of Hadhrat Abu Bakr as their leader.

Similarly, when both the Imams are present, the less superior and the more superior, people are supposed to obey the orders of the latter. When the Shias of Kufah came to know that he did not express his dissociation with the Shaikhain, they beat him black and blue till he died. On this count, the label of Rafidha was conferred on him. A debate was also held between him and his brother Muhammad Baqir because he had accepted the discipleship of Wasil bin Ata’ who put the entire blame on Hadhrat Ali for waging a war against oppressors and persecutors. He challenged the concept of fate against the conviction of the Ahl-i-Bait and declared rebellion and speculation obligatory for consolidating the position of an Imam. He even went to the extent of saying that on the basis of his faith his father did not deserve to be an Imam because he had neither rebelled against the existing conditions nor had he come out with an explicit manifesto or programme stamping the validity of his Imamat.

When Zaid bin Ali was murdered, Yahya bin Zaid came out with his claim to Imamat and left for Kharasan. It should be kept in mind that Zaid bin Ali had been executed at Kinasah, a place in Kufah and Hisham bin Abdul Malik was the one who had put him to death, while the Amir of Jazijan had ordered the execution of Yahya bin Zaid in his own town, located in Kharasan. Imam Muhammad was murdered by Isa bin Maham in Madinah and Imam Ibrahim was murdered in Basrah. Both of them had been executed on the orders of Mansur. The Zaidiyyah sect kept on drifting in a whirpool of instability as it had lost stabilizing edge through the murder of its distinguished leaders. Then Nasir Atrush appeared in Khorasan. He was hounded all over the country by the murderers but he went underground. Then he left for Dilam and Jabal where he invite people to embrace the faith preached and practised by Zaid bin Ali. People rallied round him and the Zaidiyyah brand of Islamic religion flourished almost unhampered in this area. Their Imams appeared successively and provided religious guidance to the people. They opposed their cousins in the formulation and interpretation of day-to-day matters relating to the Islamic faith. Later on , a large number of its followers backed out of their commitment to the Imamat of the less superior people and, like the Imamiyyah, they slipped into a lambasting criticism of the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). On the basis of their attitude towards the Prophet and his companions, they are divided into three types.

The sects of Salihiyyah and Behtriyyah shared the same set of religions convictions.

Jarudiyah:

This sect comprised the friends and companions of Abul Jarud. The adherents of this sect believe that the specification issued by the Prophet (peace be upon him) about Hadhrat Ali was a qualified specification. It did not spell out the name clearly and left the designation deliberately ambiguous. Therefore, Hadhrat Ali was entitled to Imamat after him but the people displayed deplorable impercipienc in grasping the significance of this obvious lack of specification and failed to estimate the proper worth of Hadhrat Ali. Exercising their rights, the elevated Hadhrat Abu Bakr to the office of the Khalifah. Thus they turned infidels by virtue of their blindness and recalcitrance. Abul Jarud’s belief is a clear violation of the beliefs held by his Imam Zaid bin Ali who did not believe in the specification.

There is a difference of opinion among the adherents of the Jarudiyyah sect about the continuity or discontinuity of Imamat. Some of them believe in the continuity of Imamat form Hadhrat Ali down to Hadhrat Hassan, Hadhrat Hussain, Ali bin Hussain Zain-ul-Abidin, and to Zaid bin Ali. They hold the view that the Imamat further continued down to Imam Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Hassan bin Hussain. Those who believe in the Imamat of Muhammad bin Abdullah are also divided in their opinion. Some of them propose that he was not executed and is still alive. He will rebel against the existent system of exploitative values and fill the earth with justice and equity. There are others who openly subscribe to the fact of his death and they extend the Imamat down to Muhammad bin Qasim bin Ali bin Hussain bin Ali. He was imprisoned during the tenure of Motasim who incarcerated him within the precincts of his house where he eventually died.

Some of them are inclined towards the Imamat of Yahya bin Umar of Kufah. He protested against the status quo and invited the people in his campaign of purgation and restoration of the true Islamic order of values. A large number of people swarmed round him in response to his call for the purification of the stinking elements that had infected the entire social structure. But Yahya was beheaded during the period of Mustain and his chopped head was offered to Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Zahir on a platter. An Alvi poet has versified about it.

(I have murdered the most distinguished person among those who are accustomed to riding. Now I have come to you and I insist on a mild conversation).

(It is extremely annoying form me that I am meeting you under circumstances when there is no sword-blade stuck between us)

It may be recalled that murdered man was Yahya bin Umar bin Yahya bin Hussain Zaid bin Ali. Abul Jarud was called Sarhub and Abu Jafar Muhammad bin Ali Baqar had given him this name. Sarhub is the blind devil who lives in the sea. Qadhi Noman had referred to the Zaidiyyah sect in some of his verses

(The Zaidiyyah sect has expressed a statement which is not liked by the people)

(They have announced that any one of the children of Hussain bin Ali and Hassan bin Ali who invites people to march forward with the sword in his hand is the Imam and one who does not do so is not an Imam)

(And any one of them who goes into hiding is also not an Imam)

(According to their self-arranged priorities they obeyed Zaid and placed their services unconditionally at his disposal)

(But when Zaid was executed and Hussain claimed Imamt, these people sided with him)

(When Yahya bin Zaid Tahir appeared on the scene, they obeyed him, and after him they elected Muhammad as their ruler)

(Muhammad is in fact Muhammad bin Abdullah who was one of the children of Hadhrat Hassan but all of them had been executed)

(They are regarded by them as their Imams and after them those who stand for the nation are also the Imams)

(All other people except them are the subject and are of equal status as members of the same nation).

Shias of Kufah:

Before I wind up the discussion of their various sects, I would like to pinpoint the chronic cowardice and degradation of the Shais of Kufah. The Shias have fabricated a number of traditions about Kufah and attributed them to Hadhrat Ali. One of the traditions is:

"O Kufah! I can anticipate that you will be pulled and stretched as leather is pulled and stretched for tanning. You will be the centre of calamities and the battlefield of accidents and catastrophes. But I know that any rebel who approaches you with evil intentions, God will either make him face some calamity or he will become the target of a murderer’s shot.

According to another tradition, he is presumed to have expressed:

Seventy thousands people will be raised from Kufah on the doomsday. Their faces will be shining like the moon. He added: This is our town, our street and the residence of our Shias.

Another tradition is imputed to Jafar bin Muhammad:

O Allah! you should throw arrows at him who throws arrows at it and show enmity towards him who shows enmity towards it. Still an other traditions runs:

"It is a land which loves us and whom we love also"

Given below are the words of two great Shia Imams. Masudi has recorded that when Zaid bin Ali bin Hussain—who was executed either in 121 or 122 A.H.—consulted his brother to visit Kufah, he advised him to keep away from Kufah because its residents were traitors and crooks. He reminded him that his grandfather Hadhrat Ali received martyrdom there, his uncle Hadhrat Hassan was attacked with a spear and his father was executed, and it was in Kufah and its surroundings that they were cursed and maligned.

The second statement has been recorded by Mufid. He has commented in reference. To Zaid bin Zli that any nation who holds in disfavour kthe blade of the sword ultimately humiliated. When he reached Kufah, its residents thronged around him and they kept on badgering him until they elicited from him the promise to wage war. But they broke the promise and handed him over to his enemies. They murdered him and hung him on the cross for four years. But none of the Kufis either resented it or helped him with the hand or the tongue.

Some Other sects:

There are some other sects in addition to the Zaidiyyah sect which gave birth to many other groups and branches. One of these sects believe in the Imamat of Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Hassan Mithna bin Ali bin abi Talib who was martyred by his oppontnts. They credited him with the status of Imam Mehdi. They believe that he is still alive and is residing on a mountain called Almiyyah. This mountain is located on the way to Makkah and Najd. On the way to Makkah it functions as a barrier. It is a huge mountain and he lives inside it and he will stay here until he rebels against the prevailing system. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has stated the name of Mahdi resembles my name and his patronym resembles my patronym. His brother Ibrahim bin Abdullah bin Hassan launched a movement in Basrah to invite people to acknowledge his Imamat. He achieved extraordinary success in his mission. But Mansur dispatched his army to take him to task. He gave a good account of himself on the battlefield but ultimately succumbed to death after fighting a number of battles with the armed forces of Mansur. Mughirah bin Said has stated that when Abu Jafar Muhammad bin Ali died and he gave vent to his views, the Shia companions of Abu Abdullah Jafar bin Muhammad expressed their disaffiliation with him, gave up his obedience and were known there-after as Rafidhis. He had conferred the new designation on them and hten he appointed one of the companions of Mughirah bin Said as the Imam, and he justified his act as the implementation of the will of Hussain by Ali and Ali bin Hussain. He added that it was also the will of Abu Jafar Muhammad bin Ali. Therefore he would be recognized and obeyed as the Imam till the appearance of Imam Mehdi. But the Shias denied the Imamat of Abu Abdullah Jafar bin Muhammad and explained that after the death of Abu Jafar Muhammad bin Ali, the children of Ali bin abi Talib were no longer entitled to Imamat, it would circulate among the children of Mughirah bin Said till the re-emergence of Imam Mehdi. In their opinion Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Hassan bin Hassa is the Mehdi who is alive. He neither died nor had he been martyred. This sect is known as Mughiriyyah on account of its affiliation with Mughirah. Mughirah went a step further and declared that he was a messenger and a prophet and Gabriel visited him with divine revelation. When Khalid bin Qisri asked him about it, he confirmed the rumour and also invited him to acknowledge his prophethood. Khalid advised him to recant his heretic opinion but he bluntly refused to switch over. So Khalid had him hanged. He also claimed to raise the dead. He believed in the transmigration of souls and his followers still practise that belief.

One of the Shia sects believes that the Imamat belongs by right to Muhammad Baqir bin Ali Zain-ul-Abidin. He succeeds his father as Imam and there is specific indication of his Imamat adequately backed by the words of his own father.

In 114 A.H. Shias trussed around Jafar after the death of his father Muhammad Baqir. The majority of the people clung to his Imamat and never doubted his authenticity as Imam but some of them pulled their muscles the other way round and disacknowledged his Imamat. Nau Bakhti has stated that some of the people remained steady as far as the Imamat of Hadhrat Ali, Hassan and Hussain was concerned and did not back out of their submission to them. After them they acknowledged the Imamat of Baqir Abu Jafar Muhammad bin Ali bin Hussain. With the exception of a fraction of people, all the others never flickered in their loyalty to him as their undisputed Imam. They heard Umar bin Siyyah saying that once he asked Abu Jafar to explicate an issue which he did to his satisfaction. The next year he asked him to explain the same problem again but he came out with a diametrically opposite reply. He said to him: Your present explanation contradicts your earlier explanation. He replied: sometimes I practise dissimulation and mask my true intentions and himd my inner feelings, i.e., sometimes I adopt ‘Taqiyyah’ as a mode of expediency. The explanation did not satisfy him and he grew skeptical about the genuineness of his personality as well as his Imamat. He therefore recounted the whole episode to Muhammad bin Qays to quell his nagging suspicions. He said: God knows my question was motivated by my earnest desire to act in accordance with the injunctions of my faith. When he knew my interrogation was based on sincerity, he ahs no justification to exercise Taqiyyah. Qays replied: It is possible somebody among the audience compelled him to exercise dissimulation. He explained: No, it is not true because on both occasions when I asked about the issue, there was no one else except the two of us. It seems it went completely out of his mind that I had asked his opinion about the same issue last year. He therefore backed out of his belief in his Imamat and justified his act of reversal by the explanation that a person who issued incorrect and illogical edicts could no possibly be designated an Imam. Similarly a person whose explication clashed with divine injunctions and were motivated by expediency or dissimulation could hardly be vested with the in-signia of an Imam. Also any one who muffled himself in insular wraps, went into hibernation and shuttered up his doors to blodk motivated by expediency or dissimulation could hardly be vested with the in-signia of an Imam. Also any one who muffled himself in insular wraps, went into hibernation and shuttered up his doors to block public contact did not fulfil the requirements which transform ordinary human beings into Imams. It was the fundamental obligation of an Imam to affirm unequivocally the divine unity, encourage the articulation of truth and crush and quash the expression of falsehood.